Automatic liquid-measure



(N0 Modl.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

J. OOWAN. AUTOMATIC LIQUID MEASURE.

Patented Sept. 3, 1895.

J!" I a 5 1 I INVENTOH Jfiifles Cmu/a/IL W/TN F A 7'TORNE Y S.

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

J. OOWAN. AUTOMATIG LIQUID MEASURE.

No. 545,850. Patented Sept. 3,1895

WITNESSES: INVENTOH Jail/v6.5 Omar/20.

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lhviTeE- STATES JAMES OOWAN, OF HONOLULU, HAWAII.

AUTOMATIC LIQUID-MEASURE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 545,850, datedSeptember 3, 1895.

Application filed November 9, 1894. Serial No. 528,286. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JAMES OOWAN, a subj ect of the Queen of GreatBritain, residing at Honolulu, Hawaii, have made certain new and usefulImprovements in Automatic Liquid- Measures, of which the following is aspecification.

My invention relates to improvements in that class of liquid-measuringdevices in which the liquid is measured as it flows therethrough, andsuch invention has primarily for its object to provide a measuringdevice of this character, of a simple and economic construction, whichiseasily set for an operative condition, in which the friction isreduced to a minimum, and. which will effectually and positively serveto measure" heavy as well as light liquids automatically.

With other objects in view, which hereinafter will be referred to, myinvention consists in such novel features of construction and pe; culiarcombinations of parts, as will be first described in detail and then beparticularly pointed out in the claims, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a side elevation of myimproved automatic measure. Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the same. Fig.3 is a longitudinal section of the same, taken on the line 3 3, Fig. 2.Fig. L is a transverse section taken on the line 4 4., Fig. 2. Fig. 5 isan enlarged sectional view of one of the float-valves; Figs. 6, 7, and 8are detail views hereinafter referred to; and Fig. 9 is a detail view ofone end of the lever-arms and the cross-head connected therewith.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, in which like letters andnumerals of reference indicate like parts in all the figures, Aindicates a tank which is centrally divided to form two compartments Band O, of equal capacity. Each of the'said compartments has an inletvalve 0. b at the top, and valved outlets c d at the bottom, which bymeans'of a peculiar arrangement of floats and lever devices are operatedto alternately open and close.

D and E indicate floats, one for each compartment, which are in thenature of rectangular tanks open at the top, provided with valvedoutlets d d e e, respectively, in the bottom, and have their endsextended, as at d and e", for a purpose presently explained.

The outlet valves 0 cl operate in pendentlike supplemental chamber orjacket portions B and O, which portionsalso extend under the floors, asmost clearly shown in Fig. 1, and form a space in which the valves cl de e of the floats project when such floats are at their lowermostpositions.

The floats D and E are connected to swinging lovers 0 and 0',respectively, each pivoted near one end on cross-axles Q Q, as shown,their short ends being pivotally connected with rods G G, which passthrough stuffingboxes g g and connect with one end of pivoted leversIll-I, journaled on suitably-supported shafts I I, which leversconnectattheir opposite ends with plunger-rods J J, which pass throughstuffing-boxesj j and connect, respectively, with the outlet-valves c d,as shown.

Near the float end the levers O 0 have pivotally connected thereto rodsK K, which pass through stuffing-boxes 70 7c and connect with one end ofthe levers L L, to the opposite ends of which are pivotally connectedthe upper ends of rods N N, which pass through stuffing -boxes andconnect with the inlet.- valves (1 b, as shown.

The several lift or plunger rods connected to the inlet and outletvalves are preferably connected with the valve-operating lovers in themanner most clearly shown in Fig. 9, by reference to which it will beseen the ends of such levers are forked and have slots at", which formbearings for the journals 0. of crossheads 0), which are held in placeby the pins a such cross-heads having elongated apertures a throughwhich the lift-rods pass.

By connecting the rods with operatingdcvers in the manner shown, thelevers will be free to move on the rods and engage the heads a of suchrods at the proper time.

To cause the floats to rise levelthat is, always in a true horizontalplane-I form the axles Q Q, to which the float-supporting leverarms areconnected, square in cross-section, (see Fig. 6,) and journal such axlesin conebearings formed in the end of stub-screws p p, which pass throughthe side walls of the tank and are secured by the jam and lock nuts, asshown. The float ends of such leverarms may be connected with thefloatin the manner clearly shown in Fig. 7, in which the jam and locknuts for the-bolt are disposed on the inside of the float-wall, or asshown in Fig. 8, in which construction the jam-nut is disposed on theoutside of the float.

P indicates an inlet-chamber, with which connects the inlet V, whichchamber is disposed diagonally on the tank so as to project.

over the inlets of both compartments.

R and S indicate vent-openings having float-valves r and s and disposedcentrally over the floats, as shown most clearlyin Fig. 3. The severalfloat-valves are preferably constructed as shown in detail in Fig. 5,and each of which comprises a cage f, in which is held the valveproperf, which may be made of light copper or brass, like an invertedfunnel, which may be open or closed at the apex. The inlet and outletvalves are of a large diameter, and in practice have guides in thevalve-seat, as shown.

The operation of my improved measuring device is best explained asfollows: When the valve-rods have been adjusted to the proper length(the heads of the upper ends being adjustable) and the machine isotherwise ready to start, both the-inlet-valves will be moved to an openposition and both outlets closed, the floats resting on the bottom oftheir respective compartments. The liquor is now let into the chamber Pand into both compartments. When thesupplementalcompartments or jacketsaround the outlet-valves and in the valves in the bottom of the floats,now resting therein, are full, the float-valves will rise and close theopenings in the bottom of such floats. As the liquor now rises in themain portion of the compartments, the floats will rise also, and owingto a slight difference in the length of the valve-rods oneinletvalvesay, b-will be moved to a closed position. Now, when the floatin compartment B, having inlet a. rises a little more, it will cause thelever H to engage the head on the liftrod J of outlet-valve dand soempty the compartment 0 having inlet 1). The liquor will now flow allthrough inlet a. When the float rises to the top of the tank orcompartment B, the projected upper edges only will engage the top ofsuch tank, which leaves a space over which the liquor can flow into thefloat D until it is nearly full, when it will sink to the bottom of itscompartment, and as it does it will operate on the lever L and firstclose valve 01 and open inlet-valve b in the compartment O. The liquidwill now flow into v both compartments until the one B is full, at

which time air-valve R will close (it being a float-valve) and preventoverflow. The compartment B being now full, all the liquid will flowinto compartment 0. When its jacket or supplemental chamber is full, thevalves of its float will close and cause such float to rise with theliquid rising therein, which float as it. rises will, through theoperatingdevers L L, first shut off the inlet a and open the outlet 0 ofthe filled compartment B, in which, as it begins to empty, the air-valveR automatically opens, so that air will enter to let the said filledcompartment empty freely. The machine will now work automatically aslong as liquid flows into the chamber P and can be left to take care ofitself.

The stuffing-boxes may be omitted and tubes used instead large enough toallow the connecting and valve rods to work easily. (See dotted lines,Fig. 2.) This would do away with the friction of stuffing-boxes. Inusing such stufflng-boxes, however, the packing has to be very loose, asthe valves have to be heavy enough to pull the rods down through thepacking by their own weight, as thelevers operate only to lift the rods.

It is obvious balanced valves may be used when the machine works underpressure. The discharge-valves, however, have to be free fromback-pressure. In practice registering devices are connected with theoscillating levers, which will indicate the number of times thecompartments have been filled, and thereby keep a record of the numberof gallons run through the machine.

When the liquid has ceased to flow and the machine has finished itswork, it will be necessary to notice the register and by gageglasses onthe outside of the compartments note the amounts contained within thecompartments. 'Ihesaid compartments can then be emptied by lifting theoutlet-valve rods by hand.

It is manifest that in the practical construction the detailedarrangement of the several lever-arms may be Varied without departingfrom my invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secureby Letters Patent, is

1. In a measuring apparatus as described, in'combination a tank havingtwo compartments each having a valved inlet and a valved outlet openinglever mechanism for alternately shifting such valves, and floats held inthe compartments connected to such mechanism for operating it in reversedirections said floats being constructed. to rise with the risingliquorin the tank and to flll as they reach the top and sink by gravity as setforth.

2. In a measuring apparatus as described, the combination with a tankhaving two equal compartments, each having an inlet and an outlet havingvalves held to close by gravity and afeed chamber common to both inletsof a pair of oscillating levers for each compartment floats in suchcompartments for operating the levers, and connections between each setof levers for one compartment and the valves of the oppositecompartment, arranged substantially as shown whereby the inlet andoutlet'valves will be operated simultaneously and alternately and theoutlet valves to close in advance of the openings of theinlet valves asand for the purposes described.

3. The combination with the tank having two compartments each having ajacket or pendent supplemental compartment valved outlets in eachsupplemental compartment too IEO

and valved inlets at the top of the tank, of float of one compartmentwith the valves of floats open at the top and having openings in theother compartment all arranged substanthe bottom, having float valvesadapted to protially as shown and described.

ject into the supplemental compartments JAMES OOWAN. 5 when the floatsare at their lowermost posi- Witnesses:

tion, said floats having cut away portions at WM. EARsIE,

the top, and lever mechanism connecting the W. H. MOINERRY.

